BPG Uno III Transforming Scooter Unveiled

Front wheel retracts for low speed travel

BPG Motors unveiled a transforming electric scooter at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The name BPG Motors may not be well-known to most people, but its Uno electric scooter prototype may be more familiar. Developed in 2008 as a high school science project by Benjamin P. Gulak, the original Uno was an electric scooter with its two wheels lined up in parallel close together almost like a unicycle, with a gyroscope keeping it balanced and upright.

The latest version of the Uno can transform from the same gyroscope-balanced riding mode into a traditional motorcycle configuration for higher speed travel.

At low speeds, the Uno III resembles the original prototype with the parallel wheels providing traction, able to move the vehicle in both forward and reverse. A third wheel sits tucked in and off the ground between the parallel wheels. This “Uno” configuration gives the vehicle a short three-foot turning radius, allowing for nimble handling in tight spaces.

As the Uno III accelerates, however, the Uno III tilts forward and the third wheel automatically extends forward while the rear wheels move back and closer together, turning the vehicle into a more traditional streetbike configuration. At lower speeds, the vehicle reverts to the Uno configuration.

Detailed specifications were not released, but the Uno III claims a top speed of nearly 35 mph and a range of 30 miles.

The Uno III isn’t BPG’s first transforming scooter concept. The Uno II concept had just two wheels with one of the parallel wheels moving forward for higher speed travel. The Uno II concept was shelved however as it was not reliably safe.

BPG then shifted to the Uno III design which the company says is the version it hopes to eventually commercialize.